I honestly think in the next couple decades boxing will slowly lose its popularity and it will become a small sport. With the simple reason every boxing fan I knows is sick to death of the politics. We need to be real. Crawford Vs Spence is never going to happen and neither is Fury vs Joshua. Instead we are gonna be watching boring title defences again and again until we eventually lose interest and stop tuning in.
Erm... It's already a niche sport as it is. Pac and Floyd are probably the last of the true superstars. The secretary standing at the copy machine might have heard the name Canelo and he's the biggest star in the sport. Big maybe. Next up is Joshua. And then after him, it's Ryan Garcia and his legion of female fans on Instagram. The general public don't know any other names.
Spence already tweeted the fight is next be patient We had to wait 5 years for Floyd vs Pac waiting until January for Spence vs Crawford is fine
It's been on life support in the U.S. for the last 15 years, even despite the fact that las vegas is still a mecca for the sport.
It seems to be failing in the USA but growing in other parts of the world. I've followed the sport for over 40 years and have become ever more casual towards it. It just doesn't reward paying close attention and looking forward to fights that invariably get cancelled or never happen at all. And the product itself is very unpredictable. You can see a fight of the year candidate on a network and then pay 80$ PPV to see a stay busy fight. The casuals now dictate how the sport is marketed.
The sport can resurface once Haymon is gone. But it will be harder when no one has that crossover appeal to build off.
He may walk the earth like a god, but he's got more important things like finding the tightest boxing trunks than lift up our beloved sport.
How is Haymon the problem? People said the same about Don King and Bob Arum and boxing still has the same politics with those 2 teetering on the great beyond. The fighters are the problem. They want more for less.
I think you are correct, unless things change. Hard to see how they will though without a complete overhaul. As well as other comments already mentioned, the sport also needs some real personalities. Give me a fury turning up in a batman outfit over a boring and scripted pile of waffle any day. The sport can be saved with some real characters who fight each other and leave it all in the ring, and are not afraid of a loss. Easier said than done sadly.
Whether you like the UFC or not, I can only see it gaining more and more popularity. The UFC is dependent on the brand not the fighters. Think how they label cards. UFC 200 etc etc Boxing sells its fighters, which means its probably more likely to go through ebbs and flows of popularity NFL NBA MLB NHL UFC No doubt in my mind it will eventually be held in regard as the other big 4 USA leagues.